Labeling machine



Aug. 12 l924. v 1,504,855

F. BECKER LABELING MACHINE Filed May 17, 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet l Aug.12,1924. 1,504,855

F. BECKER LABELING MACHINE Filed My 17, 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE TOR ATTORNEY Au 12; 1924 r. msm ss F. BECKER LABELING MACHINE Filed May 171922 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTORNE Y Aug 12 1924; 1,504,855

F. BECKER LABELING MACHINE Filed May 171. 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet A TTORNE YF.BEQKER 4 LABELING momma Filed May 17 1922 6 sheets-sheet 5' ATTORNEYAug. 12 1924. v 1,504,855

F. BECKER LABELING MACHINE Filed May 17 192-2 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 A TTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRITZ BECKER, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW ASSIGNCR TONATIONAL LABELING MACHINE COMPANY.

LABELING MACHINE.

"Application filed Iay 17, 1922. 'Serial No. 561,588. v

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, Fn'rrz BECKER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, andresident of Long Island City, in the county of Queens and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LabelingMachines, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates .to labeling machines, and is particularlyintended for use in aflixing labels to bottles or other articlescommonly used for trade purposes.

It is an object of the invention to provide a labeling machine withoperating instrumentalities so constructed and arranged as toinsure'that the ends of the labels will be closely and smoothly engaged uponthe articles. To this end an important feature of the invention residesin the provision with means for locating a label upon an article to belabeled of wipers arranged to engage the label on opposite sides of thelocating means and being rotated continuously in thesame direction so asto insure that they will pass off from the tip ends of the labels andwill have no return movement in which they might injuriously engage theends of the labels. It has heretofore been customary, so far asapplicant is aware, to employ oscillating wipers in labeling machines,and it sometimes happens that such wipers upon their return movementsengage the tip ends of a label and loosen them from the article, or tearor otherwise disarrange them. 7 The use of rotary wipers in accordancewith the invention obviates all possibility that the wipers will engagethe ends of a label, except I in a direction such.- as to cause it to bepressed against thearticle.

Other features of the invention relate to the construction andarrangement of its several operating instrumentalities whereby themachine is rendered peculiarly eflicient 1n use. a 7

Still other objects and features of the invention will appear as thedescription proceeds and will be pointed out in the appended claims:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a machine constructed in accordancewith the invention, taken from the left-hand side of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a view of the machine in front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a view in sectional elevation taken substantially along theline 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 5 isa view in side elevation of the means for operating thetransferrer arms for the labels;

Fig. 6 is a like view of the means for operating thepresser foot;

, Fig. 7 is a like view of the means for reciprocating the roller bywhich adhesive is applied to the label engaging surface of thetransferrer' arms;

Fig.8 is av detail view of the main cam shaft of the machine and theparts directly associated with it;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the several op-' erating instrumentalitiesof the machine in various positions Fig. 12 is a view of such parts inthe posi tions which they occupy in Fig. 11 and lookin from the right inFig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Figs. 9, 10 and 11, but showing the partsin still another position;

Fig. 14 is a view of the operating instrumentalities of the machine inthe positions which they occupy in Fig. 13 and lookin from the right inFig. 13;

ig. 15 is a view of the operating instrumentalities in the positionsoccupied by them upon the completion of a cycle of their operations, and

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 14, but showing a modifiedconstruction. The illustrated construction compnses a frame 2 at the topof which is mounted a label container 4 which contains a column.

of labels A. The container 4 and the means for mounting it upon theframe of the machine are well known and constitute in themselves no partof the present invention. A more complete disclosure thereof isaccordingly considered unnecessary.

Mounted on the front side of the frame 2 4 is a bracket 8 to the upperend of which is secured an article support 10. The article support 10may be of various forms in order to adapt the machine for aifixinglabels to articles and packages of varying sizes and shapes. As shown,the machine is intended for use in aflixing labels to bottles of thecharacter indicated at B in Fig. 1, and the article support 10 isaccordingly constructed in the form'of a substantially V-shaped trough,the bottles being posltioned on the supportlO by means of a stop member13 ad ustably supported in the shank of the article support. The articlesupport '10 isdetaehably secured to the brac et 8 by a screw or the like12 in order to enable the support to be readily removed from the machineand-replaced b one of a different size successively from the container 4to the, articles positioned on the support 10. In the present embodimentof'the" invention, such or form when it is esired to aflix labels toarticles of a character different from those which have been previouslyoperated upon by the machine.

Means are provided for transferring labels erably, and as shown, theouter ends of the frame'2. The yoke lever 24 (Fig. 5) is op arms 16 areprovided with openings, arranged as indicated in Fig. 4, and are bfi'setupwardl as indicated at 19, at a point rearwar y of the surfaces 18 fora put which will appear more clearly herema er. The arms 16of thetransferrer 14 are connected at their rear ends by suitable fastenings20 to the upper ends 22 of a yoke lever 24 fulcrumed at 26 on themachine erated from .a lever '28 loosely mounted on a r to positions tothe la shaft 30 extending transversel on the machine frame and providedwi a roller 32 arranged to ride on the peri hery of acam 34 fixed on themain cam sha t 36 of the machine. The roller 32 on the lever 28 is urgedagainst the cam 34 by a spring 38 connected at one of its ends to theupper arm of the lever'28, and at its other end to a rod 40 mountedtransversely in 'the frame 2. A

small yoke 42 is pivoted at 44 to the upper arm of the lever 28,- andhas an eye at its upper end which receives the lower end of a rod 46fixedly secured to the outer end of the yoke42 by nuts 48. A secondsmall yoke 50 is pivotedat its upper end to the yoke lever 24" and atits lower end .is provided with an eye which loosely receives the upperend of t e rod 46. The yoke 50 is normally held against a collar 52fast'to the upper end pfthe rod 46 by a compression sp .54 into betweenthe yoke and-t e upper nut 48. Withthis construction, the arms16 arepermitted to yield on their upward movementto ads 1; themselvescontainer 4,

and the positioifto which thelabels A are in the downward movement ofthe arms 16, as well as the pressure of the arms 16 upon the labels inthe container 4 at the end of the upward movement of the arms, may beadjusted by turning the nuts 48 u wardly or downwardly on the rod' 46. Te adjustment provided by the nuts 48, therefore, enables the machine tobe adapted for afiixing labels to articles of varying degrees of roection above the article support 10, an also enables the degree ofpressure of the surfaces 18 of the arms against the labels in thecontainer 4to be regulated as desired.

The transferrer 14 in its downward movement carries the labels A to aint adjacent to the tops of the articles to w ich the labels are to beafiixed, as clearly appears from Fig. 12, in which the arms 16 o thetransferrer 14 are shown in their lowermost position. As also appearsfrom Fi 12, the arms 16 of the transferrer are atedat opposite sides ofthe center line of the article support 10. After a label A has beenbrought to a point adjacent to the article 13. by the arms 16, the labelis located against the article and maintained ,in such position by meansnow to be described. Such means comprises a lever 56 movable between thearms 16 of the transferrer 14 and provided at its outer end with apivoted presser foot 58 in the channeled end surface of which is aninsert 60 composed bf rubber or othersoft and yielding material. Upondownward movement of the resser foot 58 the label A is directly engagedby the rubber insert 60 which contacts with the central portion of thelabel substantially in the center line of the article support 10. Thepresser foot 58 is maintained in the position shown in Fig. 12 duringthe initial portion of the upward movement of the transferrer arms 16,so

that u on upward movement of said arms, the en of the label A aredisengaged therefrom.

The lever 56 which carries the prewar foot 58 is fulcrumed at 62 to theupper end of a bowed bracket 64 extending inwardly and upwardly from thefront side of the machine frame 2, and said lever is provided forwardlyof its fulcrum 62 with a downward extension 66 'oined to the upper endof an operat' 68. The rod 68 (Fig. 6) passes loose through an eye at theupper end of a yo em, and is provided below its connection with the yoke70 with a nut 72 and a cominession'spring 74 into between the yo e .70and the nut 72 and open at' to maintain the oke normall yhagainst sec 76fasten tlierod68. eyoke 70 is connected at its lower end with a camlever 78 also mounted on the transverse shaft 30 and provided with aroller 80 riding on the riphery of a cam 82 on the main cam, aft 36.IThe roller 80 on the lever 78 is urged against the cam 82 by a ,sprin84 connected to the outer end of the lever '8 and to the transverse rod40. The yieldin operating connection provided by the yo e 70 andcompression spring 74 adapts the presser foot 58 for operation onarticles of varyin sizes by enabling the presser foot to yield asrequired by the conditions of the work. I

The transferrer 14 not only transfers. the labels to a position enablingthem to be applied to the articles, but also a plies to the ends of thelabels an adhesive y which tllie labels are permanently fixed to thearti- 0 es. to perform such functions a suitable adhesive isapplied tothe surfaces 18 of the transferrer arms 16 during each cycle of theirmovement. To this end the frame 2 of the machine is provided with tracksor guides 86 fixedly secured thereto and inclined upwardly and forwardlyfrom the top of the frame below the label container 4, and a roller 88is mounted for movement on said tracks into and out of engagement withthe label engaging surfaces 18 of the transferrer arms. As shown, theroller 88 is journaled in arms 90 depending pivotally from blocks 92slidable on the tracks 86, and the arms 90 are connected by springs 94to the outer ends of rearward projections 96 on the blocks 92.

The adhesive applied to the labels A is contained in a pot or container98 stationarily supported on a platform 99 in theupper part of themachine frame 2, and having journaled therein a roller 100. The

I roller 100 is driven from a gear 102 on the main cam shaft 36 by meansof a chain 104, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. .2, and passing over agear 106 in line with the shaft of the roller 100 and a t-ightener 108on the frame 2. The shaft of the roller 100 is provided with a gear 110(Fig. 2) arj ranged in register with a gear 112 on the shaft of theroller 88. The gear 106 (Fig. 4) transmits rotation to'the gear 110 androller 100 through the medium of lugs 113 on said gears. Thisconstruction causes the roller 88 to be rotated when it is brought backto its rearmost position into engagement with the roller 100, the propermeshing of the gears 110 and 112 being insured by the yieldingconnection provided by the springs 94 between the roller 88 and itscarrying blocks 92 and by the loose driving connection to .the roller100 provided by the lugs 113. i

The blocks 92 are reciprocated on the tracks 86 to bring the roller 88into engage ment with the roller 100 and the surfaces 18 of thetransferrer arms1 6 during each cycle of operations of the machine bymeans including links 114 pivotally connected to, the blocks 92 at oneof their ends and at their other ends to the rearwardly bowed upper Inorder to enable the transferrer 14- ends of levers 116 fixed on thetransverse shaft 30. The lever 116 at the right of the machine, as seenin Fig.2, is formed at its lower end with an upwardly and forwardlyinclined arm 118 connected by aspring 120 (Fig. 7 to the transverse rod40. A link 122 is loosely mounted on the rod 30 adjacent to the lever116 and is connected to the arm 118 of the lever 116 by a yoke 124pivoted at its lower end to'an upward extension on the link 122 andsecured at its' and the resultant extent of the reciprocations of theblocks 92 and the roller 88 carried thereby to be varied, as desired, byturning the nuts 126 upwardly 0r downwardly on the rod 128. Theconstruction of the transferrer arms 16 whereby their labelengagingsurfaces 18 are offset upwardly from the rear portions of the armsenables the roller 88 to engage the surface 18 without coming intocontact with the arms rearwardlyof such surfaces, thus causing theadhesive to be applied to the transferrer arms only at the portionswhere needed.

After a label A has been disengaged from the transferrer arms 16 by theelevation of the transferrer arms therefrom, it is engaged by wipers 140which set the label in permanently afiixed relation to the article. Thewipers 140 are composed of any suitable soft and flexible material andare arranged to engage a label A on opposite sides of and closelyadjacent to the insert of the presser foot 58 and to wipe outwardly offthe ends of the labels. The wipers 140 are arranged to engage a labelsimultaneously and to exert substantially equal pressure thereon so asto cause it to be set smoothly upon the article without distortion orwrinkling. The wipers 140 are carried by arms142 to which they aresecured by attaching plates 144, the arms 142 being in turn fixed uponshafts 146 mounted in bearings 148 on the machine frame 2 for continuousrotation in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 14.The shafts 146 are provided at their rear ends with spiral gears 150meshing with similarly shaped gears 152 on a shaft 154 mountedtransversely in the machine frame. The shaft 154 is provided at 160 onthe main shaft 36.

The machine is governed in its operations en of a rod 168 which ismovable throu the shoe in brak struction and does not require furtherdescri tion.

T e manner of operation of the illustrated machine will now be'described. Assuming that the parts are in the positions shown I in Fig.9, upon the initiation of the operation of the machine, the transferrerarms 16 are moved upwardly to cause their surfaces 18 to be ressedagainst the underside of the lower label in the container 4. At the sametime, the lever 56 and presser foot 58 are swung u wardly and rearwardlyaway from the labs en aging surfaces 18 of the arms 16. Meanwl iile theroller 88 is retained in engagement with the roller 100, the parts hemgthen in the positions shown in Fi 10. In

the continued operation of the mac ine, the transferrer arms 16 areswung downwardly carrying with them a label A from the container 4 to aposition adjacent to the top surface of the article B on the articlesupport 10. The lever 56 and presser .foot 58 are swung downwardly withthe transferrer arms 16, and the 'rubber insert 60 in the presserfoot isthereby moved into engagement with the label centrally of the spacebetween the transferrer arms 16 and substantially in the center line ofthe article support 10. The rubber inset- 60,0f the presser foot 58 ismoved downwardly to a somewhat greater extent than the transferrer arms16, and locates the central portion of the label A on the article B tobe labeled, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. Itwill be apparent also fromFigs. 11 and 12-that during the downward movement of the trans errerarms 16 and the presser foot 58,

- the roller 88 for applying adhesive to'the wardly simultaneouslysurfaces 18 of the transferrer arms is moved away from the roller 100.0nthe tracks 86, and the wipers 140 attain substantially to the uppermost.points of their movement. The transferrer arms 16 are then moved upwiththe continued outward movement; of the roller 88 to bring the surfaces18'of the transferrer arms into engagement with said roller so 'astocause Y the roller-to gpply adhesive to such surfaces,

as shown in g. 13. Meanwhile the wipers 140 in their continued-rotationare v brought into engagement with vthe' label A on the oppositesldes'ofthe presser foot 58 which has with a lon 'tudinal channel 176the article. In this form the wipers 140' wh mosses i press the ends of5m labelA which are coated with adhesive from thesurfaces 18 of thetransferrer arms 16 smoothly against the article B, the presser foot 58and the rubber insert 60 being engaged with the label while the wipers140 remain in enga ment with it so as to avoid all possibility -odisarranging the label. As the lever 56 is moved up wardly, the roller88 is withdrawn rearwardl into engagement with the roller .100, and tiewipers 140 rotate downwardly ed the ends of the label, thus bringing theparts into the positions shown in Fi 15 and completing a cycle ofoperations 0 the machine. The machine then either stops or continuesupon a second cycle of operations, according as to whether the operatorhas or has not removed his foot from the treadle 164.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 16 the article support 10 isconstructed to adapt the machine for afiixing labels to a bottle orother article B of rectangular transverse section. To this end thearticle support 10 is formed in its up 1' surface ded by lugs or ri 178extending upwardly from the lateral edges of the support. As shown inFig. 16, the label A is of a length greater than the 'width of the topwall of the article B, so that the tip ends of the label extend beyondthe edges of the top wall of the wipers 140' are of somewhat greaterthickness and stifl'ness than thewipers 140 hereinbefore described,- andare formed at their free ends with outwardly turned noses 180, thepoints of which are arran to wipe along the portions of the labels Aupon the top wall of the article B and to engage the tip ends of thelabel A and press-them closely against the vertical walls of thearticleB adjacent to the top wall. The attaching plates 144 for the wipers 140'preferably extend somewhat beyond the ends of the arms 142 and arerounded, as indicated at 182 in Fig. 16. The pro ecting, rounded endportions 182 of the attaching plates 144 rovide a backing for enablesthem to exert sufiicient prewure on the tip ends of the labels to causethem to en closely with the vertical walls of the articles B.

It will be understood from the foregoin that whatever the form of the wimay be, the continuous rotation of sec of 'per'sin the samedinection, asd stingulshed from a machine in which oscillatmg wipersare employed,insures that the w rs will always pass 05 from the tip cu d: ofthelabels so as tc set them upon .the article'and' obviates all pcmb' it ofbreaking -or' disarrenging. the ends of this as sometimeshappens uponthe of the invention,

return movements of wipers-of the oscillating type. The construction,manner of operation, and the several advantages of the invention will beclearly understood from the preceding description.

Havin fully described the invention, What is c aimed is:

1. In a labeling machine, pivotally mounted carrier arms to position alabel upon the article to be labeled, a presser foot pivotally supportedfor movement in a plane parallel with the label carrying arms about anaxis disposed in parallel relation to the axis of said label carryingarms, said presser foot adapted to engage the intermediate portion ofthe label and hold the same upon the article during a reverse movementof said arms to disengage the same from the label, a power shaft, spacedcams fixed on said shaft, operating means for the label carrying armsactuated by one of said cams, and operating means for the presser'footactuated by the other of said cams, said latter means including aresiliently yieldable connection permitting of the engagement of thepresser foot with articles of different sizes.

2. In a labeling machine, cam operated means for locating labels uponthe articles to be labeled, wipers for setting the labels upon thearticles, and spiral gears for retating each of the wipers continuouslyin the same direction.

3. In a labeling machine, a pivotally mounted lever, a presser footpivoted upon one end of said lever to hold a label upon the article tobe labeled, an operating cam, a lever fulcrumed intermediate of its endscarrying .a roller for engagement with said cam, an actuating rodconnected to saidfirst named lever, anda yieldable connection betweensaid rod and the second named lever whereby said presser foot may be0peratively engaged with articles of various sizes.

4. In a labeling machine adapted to apply labels to articles of an lartransverse section and of less width than the length of the labels,means for locating a label against one side of an article, and wipers

